EVERY-THING SPORTS
It may not be pretty, but this was always part of the plan for Houston Texans
Sep 21, 2022, 12:15 pm
Texans fans had to expect some growing pains early on. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.
The Texans are currently winless on the 2022 season after their first two games. Being 0-1-1 isn't the worst result, but it isn't ideal. Not by a long shot. What compounds the problem is the fact that they were up 20-3 vs the Colts, and literally threw away opportunities against the Broncos. This team could easily be 2-0, or 0-2.
Some saw the 2022 season turning out differently. There was a group that saw this season as a chance to take a big step forward and possibly contend for one of the last playoff spots. Another section saw this as a second rebuild year and want to angle for high draft picks. Most were in between. Those people thought the team would be better than their four wins last year, but not anywhere near the playoff picture. 6-11 or 7-10 or somewhere in that range. Overall, the majority of folks thought improvement was on the horizon, with contending status in the near future.
Those folks are still correct despite the early results. Davis Mills seems more and more like he's not the answer at franchise quarterback. He has 15 games left in this season to prove he's worthy of a role moving forward. If he doesn't make it through the next 15 games as the starter, he's on the outs. If he makes it through, he will have proven himself worthy of at least a backup role. Perhaps he shows enough for the Texans to possibly get a late round pick from another team who may want to bring him in as a backup.
Nico Collins is going to be good. He's been working with Texans legend Andre Johnson on adding to his game. His size gives him a natural advantage. Working on those ball skills in order to win contested catches was a Johnson specialty. Collins has shown he wants to be better and is taking the steps necessary to achieve that goal.
Dameon Pierce should be RB1 for the next four to five years. However long he's healthy and remains productive, he should sit atop the depth chart. The only way I see that changing is if they find another back to add depth that outshines Pierce's already bright future. I can't wait to see him be more involved in the game plan from week to week. He had his career high in touches against the Broncos. He hasn't had that many touches since high school.
The defense has some gems as well. Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre are going to be staples of the secondary. Stingley Jr. has had a rough go of it so far. He's got the talent and athleticism, but has to put it all together. Pitre has shown flashes of playmaking ability. He's also been out of place and messed up a bit. Once he learns the game, I feel sorry for the rest of the league. These two will be special. Throw in pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, and the makings for a solid defense are in place.
Finding guys in mid to late rounds is where teams traditionally build depth. With the Texans, they're building a foundation with those guys. Once you have a solid foundation, the frame can go up. Once that's done, you know the rest. General manager Nick Caserio has been very strategic at how he's choosing to build this team into a winner. With nine picks in the first three rounds in the next two drafts, a good cap situation, and a solidified corporate structure, I expect this team to start winning soon. This season isn't a waste. They're growing. It's like watching your kid learn to walk. They tumble and fall, but they get back up. Next thing you know, they're running everywhere they go, and you can barely catch them. Here's to the Texans running everywhere they go, especially to the playoffs.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.